Early Conventions
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The first ten years of SF conventions were a mixed bag, but even the largest was small by modern standards, and some were literally a few guys getting together for a day. But travel was difficult and the tendency of the time was to call nearly any planned get-together (see fan visit) of fans from different cities a "convention" (or a "conference". See the Fancyclopedia 2 article on “con” for the baroque early terminology).
Anglofan historians tend to take a hard line on what was or wasn’t a convention (they would omit the First Convention if they could). We are inclined to take the participants’ estimation, even if they declared conhood after the event.
Year | Date | Convention | Size | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1936 | October 22, 1936 | First Convention | 12–20 | Philadelphia | later called the First Eastern |
1937 | January 3, 1937 | Other First Convention | ~20 | Leeds, UK | |
February 21, 1937 | Second Eastern | 30–40 | New York | ||
October 30, 1937 | Third Eastern | ~30 | Philadelphia | ||
1938 | April 10, 1938 | Second British Convention | 43 | London | called Necronomicon in '57 |
May 29, 1938 | Newark Convention | >100 | Newark, NJ | aka Fourth Eastern aka First National | |
October 16, 1938 | 1938 Philadelphia Conference | > 25 | Philadelphia | ||
1939 | May 21, 1939 | Third British Convention | ~40 | London | |
July 2–4, 1939 | NyCon I | 150– |
New York | the first Worldcon | |
Fall 1939 | Philcon 1939 | Philadelphia | |||
Early June 1939 | OSA Pow-Wow | 3 | Tulsa, OK | Oklahoma state convention | |
1940 | Early 1940 | Washington Confabulation 1 | 3 | Washington, DC | |
April 1940 | Third Chicago Conference | 4 | Chicago | ||
September 1-2, 1940 | Chicon I | 128 | Chicago | ||
November 10, 1940 | Phillycon 1940 | Philadelphia | |||
1941 | late February 1941 | Boskone I | ~25 | Winchester, MA | at the Swishers’ home |
May 4, 1941 | All-Eastern Science Fiction Conference | Newark, NJ | May not have been held | ||
Summer 1941 | Washington Confabulation 2 | 6? | Washington, DC | issued Washington Manifesto | |
July 4-6, 1941 | Denvention I | ~100 | Denver | ||
September 20-21, 1941 | Bombcon | 13 | London | ||
November 16, 1941 | 1941 Michiconference | Jackson, MI | |||
1942 | Belatedly announced, called off in favor of Boskone II | ||||
February 22, 1942 | Boskone II | 25 | Boston, MA | ||
September 27, 1942 | 1942 Michiconference | ~25 | Jackson, MI | ||
November 29, 1942 | Hastings S-F Conference | v. small | Hastings, MN | possibly a drinking party | |
November 22, 1942 | Bloomington Conference | 9 | Bloomington, IL | possibly a poker game | |
Late 1942 | Pacificon Jr. | Los Angeles | |||
1943 | February 28, 1943 | Boskone III | 14 | Boston, MA | |
April 23–6, 1943 | Midvention | 14 | Leicester, UK | i. e. over Easter | |
April 26–7, 1943 | Midgicon ("Midget Chicon") | 8 | Chicago | Ashley et al. on bookbuying spree, moots Slan Center | |
Spring 1943 | Live Oak Conference | 3 | Live Oak, FL | A Cosmic Circle event | |
May 16, 1943 | Staplecon 1 | ~12 | San Francisco | ||
June 26/28 – July 1, 1943 |
Mecon or Mainecon | 3 | Rockland, ME | Widner, Chauvenet bike to Norm Stanley | |
early July 1943 | Mainecon Jr. | 2 | Rockland again | visit by (pseud.) Degler | |
mid 1943 | Schenectacon | 2-4 | Schenectady, NY | ||
October 30, 1943 | 1943 Michiconference | 22 | Battle Creek, MI | ||
November 21, 1943 | Staplecon 2 | San Francisco | |||
"around the end" 1943 | Fancon | Bloomington, IL | |||
late 1943? | Councilcon | Newcastle, IN | Possibly occurred only in Claude Degler’s imagination | ||
December 31, 1943 – January 2, 1944 | Norcon | small | Manchester, UK | ||
1944 | April 8-9, 1944 | Eastercon | London | ||
May 28, 1944 | Staplecon 3 | 9 | San Francisco | ||
June 17-19, 1944 | Michicon 4 | 23 | Battle Creek, MI | ||
August 27, 1944 | Dovention | 11 | Dover, NJ | ||
September 1–2, 1944 | Midvention 2 | 6–8 | Leicester, UK | or "Midventionette" | |
October 7-9, 1944 | Little Chicon | "small" | Chicago | ||
? | Bufflocon | Buffalo, NY | slan shack visiting Krueger | ||
December 29, 1944 – January 1, 1945 | Norcon 2 | small | Manchester, UK | Announced — did it occur? | |
1945 | February 3-4, 1945 | Boskone IV | 5 | Winchester, MA | at the Swishers’ home |
July 7-8, 1945 | 1945 Michiconference | 15-20 | Battle Creek, MI | ||
September 2, 1945 | Boskone V | 9 | Salem, MA | AKA First New England SF Conference | |
1946 | March 3, 1946 | FPWESFC | Newark, NJ | ||
April 6–7, 1946 | First Post-Radar-Contact-with-the-Moon Con | 16 | Chicago | ||
July 4-7, 1946 | Pacificon I | 130 | Los Angeles | ||
October 12–13, 1946 | Centracon | 25 | Chicago | ||
October 27, 1946 | Phillycon 1946 | Philadelphia |
See also the Fancyclopedia 2 (1959) article on Conventions as well as fan visits.
Fanhistory | 1936—1946 |
This is a fanhistory page. Please add more detail. |